Its aim is to get people to recognise the spectrum of autism disorders and to shift their perspective from disease to difference. Celebrating autism may seem like an unusual activity but it is about accepting autistic children and adults as they are, loving them as they are, and recognising their rights.

Recently, there have been a number of high profile examples of Australian celebrities with high functioning autistic children. They include Kathy Lette and Chloe Maxwell. On the other side of the spectrum, Lisa Nops has just published a book called My Life in a Pea Soup about life with her profoundly autistic daughter Sally.